Dublin South West Sinn Féin TD, Seán Crowe, has welcomed media reports that suggest that Transport Minister Shane Ross is drawing up regulations on rickshaws. It comes after the Government and Transport Minister, Shane Ross, originally opposed the changes made to the Road Traffic Bill 2016, to gives the National Transport Authority new powers to regulate the operation of rickshaws, but the Government were defeated in the Dáil vote by 58 votes to 50.

Crowe spoke on the amendment to the Road Traffic Bill in the Dáil in December in support of amendment. The Dublin South West TD also wrote to the Minister Ross during the summer in order to highlight the lack of a scintilla of legislation covering rickshaws, and outlined his concerns around serious health and safety issues.

Deputy Seán Crowe said:

“During the summer I wrote to Minister Ross outlining my particular concerns about the lack of any regulation around rickshaws. The obvious health and safety issues, as well as the added dangers these drivers are currently causing for other road users and vulnerable passengers, needs to be urgently addressed.

“This is a serious road safety issue, and I am delighted that the amendment was successfully passed. Many passengers are currently putting their health and safety at risk with no insurance or comeback if an accident happened.

“I have been raising this matter with the Minister in correspondence going back to last year and it is clear that he was in no rush to legislate on this matter. I welcome reports from him in the media that new regulations are to be fast tracked.”

Crowe continued:

“This whole sector is completely unregulated. Currently operators are not obliged to register their rickshaws .The gap in any legislation leaves those rickshaw operators, passengers, and other road users in a legal quandary should an accident occur. There is also the added difficulty of identifying the driver as currently there is no identification shown on the vehicle and driver does not have to display his name or photo identity.

“There is currently no record or standard to judge if a rickshaw is roadworthy. Simple things like do the brakes work, are the tyres  fitted properly and up for purpose, that the body of the rickshaws has no sharp edges, or even that they are safe to operate on the road currently don’t apply

“Clearly other road users, pedestrians, and passengers should have access to up to date legislation should a traffic accidents or incidents occur involving a rickshaw. These anomalies needed to be addressed urgently by Transport Minister Ross.

“At a minimum, rickshaw operators need to registered, basic health and safety regulations drawn up, and applied across the sector.  The basic rules of the road need to apply to all users and this gap in legislation is unacceptable and new legislation is long overdue.”

ENDS